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Horseback Riding – How to Control Your Horse When it Gets Spooked

In the horse’s mind, there is one solution to problems – run. His powerful legs are a great defense against a host of dangers, and the sooner he uses them, the more likely he is to get away safely. Unfortunately for the rider, this instinct can result in you crashing to the ground as your horse races away from a colorful bit of litter, a sudden sound, or the unexpected appearance of a bunny on the trail. Some horses have such well-developed imaginations that they can spook for no detectable reason at all.

You can help your horse conquer these fears by keeping their minds focused and providing comforting leadership. When you are actively riding, focused on where you want the horse to go and what you want her to do, your horse doesn’t have time to wonder what dangers might be hiding in the corner. When you show, through you confidence and awareness that you can keep your horse safe, she can leave the worrying to you and focus on giving you a good ride.

Part of keeping your horse working and confident is having a good seat. Solid contact with the saddle keeps your horse in balance and tells her that you know what you are doing. Just as importantly, if your horse does spook, a good seat gives you the best chance of staying mounted and being able to get your horse back under control. Practice moving with your horse in all gaits, during turns and through transitions. Check your position, particularly, where is your weight? Do you tip forward during accelerations or back during halts? Do you lean into turns? Are you too rigid, so that you are bouncing around in the saddle? Being out of position makes it harder to stay mounted when your horse does something unexpected. In addition, your horse feels out of balance which makes her nervous.

Another thing that having a good seat does for you during a spook is to give you options for your hands and feet. If you are properly seated you can work your legs to get a good grip on the middle of your horse. This helps you stay in position and reminds your horse that you are there. Once you have your seat and legs solid, there is no need to hold tight reins. Check that you are not pulling, since your horse will instinctively push back against the pressure. If you pull hard enough to make the horse feel trapped, she may decide that bucking and rearing are her only options, making a bad situation very dangerous. A much better move is to keep gentle contact and use your legs and seat to bring your horse to a halt.

There are rare occasions when a riding out a spook is a bad idea. For example if you are on the trail and your horse runs through the trees, you don’t want to be swept off by branches. In such cases, you want to make an emergency dismount. This maneuver involves quickly pulling your feet from the stirrups and jumping clear. Note that this gets you out of danger, but it leaves your horse scared and running. She may run into a dangerous situation or get tangled in her tack, leading to injury.

Once you get through the initial excitement, you need to work on your horse to prevent spooking in the future. What was happening right before the spook? Where you riding attentively? Was the horse acting nervous? In these cases, take the spook as a lesson that you should always ride well.

The next thing to look for is something in the environment. Horses can react to movement, noises and colors. Walk your horse past the same location, watching for signs from her about what might be bothering her. Keep in mind that the problem may no longer be there. Maybe it was someone with a brightly colored jacket, maybe a bee flew by.

Once you know what is scaring your horse, you need to work with her to desensitize her. This may be as simple as walking around the scary thing until the horse sees that there is no real danger. In other cases, you may need to spend quite a bit of time getting your horse used to the situation. Be sure to monitor your horse closely so that you go up to the point where she is thinking of spooking, but not to the point where she spooks over and over. If you can’t get her to accept the situation, try getting a trainer who is skilled in bomb proofing horses to work with her.

Every horse has a different tolerance for scary situations. Their moods can shift from day to day. It is your job to make sure that you always ride with an attitude and position that keeps you safe when your horse does something unexpected. Practice having a good seat, pay attention to your horse’s mood and keep your head when things go wrong. You and your horse will be safer for these precautions.

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Horse Racing Accident

A jockey falls from his horse and gets dragged along.

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Supplements for the Horse Respiratory System » SmartPak Equine Blog

What supplement can I use as a bronchodilator for endurance race horses in a dusty environment? Ahmed. Dear Ahmed,. Unfortunately, there are no over-the-counter respiratory supplements with bronchodilator activity. … Look for supplements containing plants such as licorice, garlic, elecampane and marshmallow. Note: some competitive riding associations forbid specific ingredients. If you are showing, please check with your association for rules and regulations. …

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Horse Racing Basics – What You Need to Know Before You Start Betting on Horse Races

By Trevor Stonham

There are certain things you need to know about horse racing basics. We’ll cover as many of them as possible here.

Flat or Jumps

In the UK, horse racing is either Flat or National Hunt. Flat races are ones where there are no jumps or hurdles for the horses to navigate, even though the race track itself may undulate. Additionally, flat races can be run on grass or on “all weather” surfaces. The latter are designed to allow racing to continue even if weather conditions would mean that a race on grass would not be safe.

National Hunt races are run from autumn to spring – the ground in the summer is usually too hard for horses to land safely. There are different types of fences and some of the jumps also involve water. These races are usually more of a test of stamina and are normally longer than flat races.

Handicap or not

Some races are described as handicaps. The idea is that each horse in the race is given an individual rating and carries a certain amount of extra weight in order to make each horse as close to equal as possible. If the handicapper has done their job perfectly then each horse should cross the finish line at exactly the same time – which is, of course, impossible. But it does mean that handicap horse races are often more “open” than non-handicap ones.

Distance

In the same way as human runners, horses prefer different distances. Some prefer short sprints whereas others prefer longer races. Short races are measured in furlongs and longer races in both miles and furlongs. There are 8 furlongs in a mile. If a horse has won a race of the same distance, it is (fairly obviously) called a distance winner and will be marked as such on the race card.

Odds

As a general rule, the shorter (smaller) the odds offered for a horse to win a race, the more likely it is to win. Bookmakers and online services such as Betfair offer odds on every horse in every race. When you place a bet, you can choose to accept the odds on offer at the time you place the bet (if the bookmaker you use offers this) or take the “starting price”, which is the actual odds offered at the start of a race. Some bookmakers offer a “best price” guarantee so you can take the odds at the time you place the bet and, if the starting price is greater your bet will be treated as though you had taken the starting price instead. Betting exchanges such as Betfair typically only give you the price at the time your bet is accepted.

Odds give an indication of the likelihood that a horse will win a given race – over time the odds offered are similar to a horse’s chance of winning. But much like a weatherman saying that there’s a 60% chance of rain, nothing is guaranteed for any single occasion. After all, if it was, the bookmakers would be out of business.

There’s lots more to horse racing than the above but these few guidelines will help to get you started.

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What Horseback Riding Really Takes

***I DO NOT OWN THE MUSIC NOR DO I OWN ANY OF THE CLIPS IN THIS VIDEO*** This is a video for all of the people out there who have ever told someone that horseback riding is easy, or that it isn’t a qualified sport. This shows what it really takes to be an Equestrian.

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Good Horse Tack

Your horse should have his own saddle and bridle which must be adjusted to fit.  Some people purchase discount horse tack, cheap horse tack or used horse tack from horse tack catalogs, but they must be in good condition. There are many who seek horse tack for sale, looking at horse tack wholesale, horse tack supply and horse tack and supplies.  Some are even venturing to miniature horse tack, which includes miniature horse tack discount or best prices. It is for this reason that several equestrian experts have opened up their websites in the effort to equip the horse lover and individuals, by guiding them in their chosen path – horse riding and their horse’s needs. Many people have been so thankful for proper training and support. Avenues for making their dream come true.

Horse training actually begins as soon as you get your horse, as they need care and attention on a regular basis.  Keep them fed, watered, exercised and groomed, with tacking up part of the riding process.  Tacking up is a very important process for horse lovers – it bonds your relationship between your horse. Now with all of the excitement that you feel for the new adventure that awaits you, such as riding your horse, you would surely want to learn everything about horse rearing and training. There is no need for you to worry about how to get the information that you need on horse riding, and good tack horse; you have the portals of the Internet! You can always surf the net, and log on to the websites that can provide you with the details on horse riding, dressage and rearing.

What can the online information on horsemanship do for you? Of course it is time saving. If you are busy with your day to day activities, then taking online lessons would be a good idea. You would just have to spare a few minutes of the time that you have in a day and be able to learn the aspects that come with horse riding. You would also have free tips that are valuable for the riding path that you are taking. When putting the bridle on your horse it is important to provide an atmosphere where the horse would be able to accept it willingly.  Take your time and encourage him to open his mouth. Other fundamentals of horse tack is to ensure that the bridle is not hurried, tickling the side of the horse’s tongue, through the corner of his mouth.  This will teach your horse to take it willingly.  Before the process of wearing the saddle begins, you should have your horse’s consent from the start. Find out if he is happy about being saddled and girthed, as this is part of the riding process – before you climb on board.  Check to see if the saddle is a good fit by placing the saddle on his back.  Check to see if he is hesitant or timid – if he moves away at the sight or feel; this probably tells you how he feels about it. Take your saddle in one hand and for a few moments rub him on the neck, until you see him relax his body alittle.  Now is the time to proceed and place the saddle on his back. From the back of your tacked up horse, with you on the saddle, there should be a clear gap between the horse’s spine and the saddle all the way through.

From the very start, it is important that your horse is trained to behave properly and accordingly; there are wholesale horse tack and supplies and horse training tack. There is also horse racing tack and horse tack trade shows for the specialist horse rider.  It does not matter if your horse has all the horse tack supplies, if it is horse tack equipment from horse tack shops or horse tack online or horse tack online auction.  Your horse could be covered from head to toe with horse tack gifts, but you must understand that your horse should know how to keep you safe during a ride. Knowing how to ride fast when needing to and slow down is imperative for a safe ride.

Be in command – this is important. Initially, the horse may feel afraid. Once your horse has been trained to follow your command and other instructions, training it would be far easy. Train your horse to be calm at all times. Do not hurt the horse – that is very detrimental.
You can experiment by taking the horse’s tack off after riding and spend some time walking with him loose.  It gives your horse the chance to unwind with you and to reflect on the riding session that you both experienced.

You could be using any tack – model horse tack, western horse tack, mini horse tack, draft horse tack, English horse tack and horse racing tack, walking horse tack, and other horse tack equestrian equipment for this. These are just some of the things that equestrian dressage emphasises in the training. Call your horse so he can respect and obey you as its master. Learning more about horses and riding a horse would make you more capable of handling your horse even better.

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